Local Food Councils take on many different forms but they often share the common goal of responding to the needs of their community. At the Food Systems Coalition, we are a training and education hub for helping counties across WNC boost their impact.
We believe that each county knows its community best. We serve as the connective tissue between different organizations and community members so councils can further their mission.
Examples of work we do with local food councils includes:
Strategic planning for mission/vision and leadership formation
Collaborative fundraising
Support with community outreach and local food campaigns
Relationship building with other regional food councils
Story and impact sharing
Also, did you know that NC Cooperative Extension hosts an online Overview of Local Food Systems course? Check it out for a great understanding and headstart on local food council coordination.
Policy Work
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This bill was introduced in the House (HR 3159) and Senate (S. 1484). If passed, the Food Date Labeling Act would standardize the voluntary U.S. consumer food date label scheme used by food companies to indicate quality and shelf-life of food for consumers. This bill is designed to reduce consumer confusion about date labels on their food products, resulting in less food thrown away. You can read more in our summary here.
The House bill was assigned to both the Agriculture Committee and the Energy & Commerce (E&C) Committee, which means we need to work with both committees to figure out a pathway for the bill.
Right now the Coalition is focusing on some targeted follow up with House E&C committee members, including Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-9).
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“Unfortunately, the historical norm is that during natural disasters, federal funding only goes to agricultural employers and does not reach farm workers, with very few exceptions. We ask that Congress and the Biden administration change this in any disaster relief package by including grants to charitable organizations that serve farm workers.”
“The Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act (H.R. 8765/S. 4545), would create a model to ensure that assistance reaches farm workers who are affected by a hurricane, flood, drought, excessive heat, health crisis like a pandemic, and other covered disasters that cause workers to lose income or make them unable to work. Hurricanes Helene and Milton are the exact kinds of disasters that this Act contemplates, and the current suffering of farm workers is the exact kind of human harm and economic damage that this Act seeks to address.”
You can read the letter to President Biden and Co here
